John Dickens | Schools Week

Schools face hefty fines for data breaches under new EU laws

Schools face having to free up a teacher to work three days every week on EU data protection issues, say tech experts. From May next year, schools must comply with the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or face financial penalties of up to 4 per cent of their turnover. The new regulations are designed […]

Simon Lebus resigns as Cambridge Assessment chief executive

Simon Lebus, group chief executive of Cambridge Assessment, will stand down from the role after 15 years at the helm. Lebus will leave the organisation, which runs exam boards OCR, Cambridge International Examinations, and Cambridge Language Assessment, in March next year. It follows a 15-year stint in the role during which the not-for-profit department of […]

Ark drops plans to expand teacher training programme in north

Academy chain Ark has abandoned ambitious plans to scale-up a new teacher training partnership with two trusts in the north after losing out on government funding. Ark, which runs 35 schools, had partnered with both Dixons Academies Trust and Oasis Community Learning to run separate two-year initial teacher training programmes starting this September. Schools Week […]

Critical Lilac Sky trust finance warning kept under wraps for months

A critical financial notice issued by the government to an academy trust revealing “significant irregular financial and governance practice” was kept under wraps for more than ten months. The Education Funding Agency (EFA) has today published a financial notice to improve (FNtI) that was issued to the controversial Lilac Sky Schools Academy Trust in August last […]

Academy trust broke rules over CEO’s £8,000 four-star hotel stays

An academy trust in financial trouble breached government rules after paying nearly £8,000 so its chief executive could stay in a four-star hotel for 78 nights. An Education Funding Agency investigation, published yesterday, found a number of “significant failings and weaknesses” at the Rodillian Multi Academy Trust. The government launched an investigation into the trust, […]

Schools go ‘supersize’ to cope with population growth

The average size of primary schools has increased by one whole class since 2009 to accommodate a bulge in pupils, new figures have revealed. Census figures from January this year, published today, also show there has been a rise in ‘super-size’ classes at secondary level – seemingly confirming concerns by unions that teachers are being […]

Academy facing closure over ‘crippling’ £21 million PFI costs

A struggling academy is facing closure because of “crippling” PFI repayments – with the council set to pick up the outstanding £21 million debt. The government has agreed “in principle” to close The Kingsway Academy, in Wirral, following two-year discussions over its viability. Northern Schools Trust, which took on the academy in 2014, said low […]

Schools over four-storeys high to have cladding tests

The government is reviewing all schools over four-storeys high to find out what type of cladding is on the buildings after the Grenfell Tower blaze. Schools minister Nick Gibb, in a written Parliamentary Question today, confirmed the department is analysing all school buildings to identify those over four storeys high. Gibb said this will ensure […]

Government to review 1% teacher pay cap

The government is reportedly set to review the 1 per cent cap on teacher pay – meaning it could potentially be lifted this year. Downing Street sources have told the media the general election showed people are “weary” of the public sector pay cap of 1 per cent. Sources said the government will “listen to […]